Cheserek lost for the first time in five NCAA finals, but it took an incredible kick by Lalang to make it happen. Lalang hit the finish in 13 minutes, 18.36 seconds, just ahead of Cheserek, whose time was 13:18.71.

The Duck significantly improved their NCAA team title chances with a 2-3-4 finish, good for 19 points. Oregon's Trevor Dunbar placed third (13:26.90), while Eric Jenkins was fourth (13:27.41).